Greetings from Koh Tao! I’m settled back on the island after my longest trip since September, a nearly two-week jaunt that brought me from Khao Yai to Bangkok to Hua Hin and finally down to Khao Sok. It was an amazing trip but it felt damn good to be home. I still feel like I’m playing catch up — when do I not? — and am busy cranking out tons of content, a few site updates and a billion emails behind the scenes. The great thing about living on Koh Tao is that when it’s time to step away from the laptop for a few hours, there’s a whole island playground to enjoy! This week I attended two yoga workshops, finally found a hiking route I’d been hearing rumors of for ages, went for a trapeze session, and even squeezed in an hour (literally one but better than none!) at the beach.

This week I’m looking forward to checking tons of items off my to-do list as well as celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Thai style! Here on the blog I’ll have a few final posts from my road trip headed your way — I’m already excited for you to read them. What’s on your agenda for the week? You know, other than picking a Photo of the Week, that is… 😉

Hey Meihoukai! I’m so sorry for asking this question, but I figured you’d be the right person to ask. I’m visiting South Thailand in June and I know Samui, Phangan and Tao are the best islands to visit during that time. I’m all booked for Samui, but I’m a little hesitant about staying in Koh Tao because of all of the recent unfortunate incidents. Do you think Koh Tao is safe to travel to? Thanks so much.

Hey Amanda! I always answer this question the same way. I’m a young woman who resides alone and I choose to live on Koh Tao. I think that speaks for itself — I wouldn’t move somewhere I felt uncomfortable. I go running alone at sunset, I walk home alone at night, and while I do lock my doors due to expensive electronics I keep inside, most of my friends don’t even bother. I have never once felt unsafe here! The more I travel and the more of the world I experience, the more I’m grateful for how safe and at ease I feel on Koh Tao. The media wildly misrepresents some of the events that have happened here. Hope that reassures you!

I'm a New York native who left my home to explore the world slowly and thoroughly. I’m just a little obsessed with photography, scuba diving, and reading guidebooks to countries I have no immediate plans to visit.